Senior Real-Time Systems Architect & Tech Leader

General Atomics Intelligence; Poway (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 257,000; Full time

Job summary

GA-Intelligence seeks a Chief Engineer to steer the technical direction of a large-scale, real-time intelligence software program. Initially acting as Deputy Chief Engineer, the role progresses to lead architecture decisions and drive cross-team delivery for DoD and international missions.

The candidate must be a strong systems thinker with a proven track record in high-stakes environments, owning technical outcomes and aligning with customers and partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in engineering or related field; 13+ years of progressive engineering experience.
• Experience leading software eng for large, complex distributed systems.
• Senior technical leadership experience (Chief Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer, Chief Architect, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Understand the architecture, roadmap, dependencies, and risks of the program.
• Define and maintain the technical direction of a complex software ecosystem.
• Provide technical leadership across multiple teams and disciplines.
• Guide major architectural decisions balancing performance, resiliency, and long-term health.
• Own end-to-end system integrity and drive sound technical decisions.
• Identify risks and integration challenges before they escalate.
• Engage with program management, engineering managers, product leadership and leads.
• Support planning, modernization, risk reduction, and release readiness.
• Align architecture with customer needs and timelines; mentor engineers.

Skills

Systems thinking

Software architecture

Leadership

Education

Bachelor/Master/PhD in engineering

Job description

GA-Intelligence seeks a Chief Engineer to steer the technical direction of a large-scale, real-time intelligence software program. Initially acting as Deputy Chief Engineer, the role progresses to lead architecture decisions and drive cross-team delivery for DoD and international missions.

The candidate must be a strong systems thinker with a proven track record in high-stakes environments, owning technical outcomes and aligning with customers and partners.